I am a modern Social Democrat, who will vote with the Labour Whip, except when a matter of conscience compels me not to.
  I believe in extending educational opportunity to all children through investment in academic and vocational training. I strongly support the government's investment in education since 1997, and would like to see more money invested in under-five education and development. I support the government's policy on tuition fees and top-up fees, because the poorest get bursaries, and only the middle classes have to pay, once in full time employment. Therefore, the government has stopped giving hand-outs to middle class students, and is actually re-distributing wealth to the poorest students, which promotes social mobility. The Liberal Democrat position is a disingenous bribe to the middle classes disguised as being 'principled'. Tuition fees also mean we have more money to invest in young children, especially the poorest, where life-chances are often irreversibly affected.
  I believe strongly in delivering a fair deal for working people through more rights at work. I entirely support the government's measures to make work pay, such as the rising National Minimum Wage.
  I congratulate the government's stealthy redistribution of wealth to low income families through tax credits. I also applaud the achievement of lifting 2 million children out of absolute poverty and 600,000 out of relative poverty since 1997. I urge the government to do more to tackle the poverty trap that so many children find themselves caught up in from birth.
  Although I feel the pension system needs to be reformed to address the hardships faced by part-time workers and carers in old age caused by rules linking pensions to N.I contributions, I support government policies such as the Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Payment, which have helped to cut pensioner poverty by two thirds.
  I feel unable to agree with the government's original position of support for the Iraq War. However, I feel that now the war is over, we must accept our responsibilities and use our forces to help stabilise Iraq, insofar as the democratically elected Iraqi government permits us to do so.
  I think that Britain's place is at the heart of Europe, and I accordingly support the proposed European Constituional Treaty. I am, however, unsure about the Growth and Stability Pact, and feel unsure that adoption of the Euro and the common monetary policy that that would involve would be best for Britain.
  I support the government's investment in the NHS and will not support any measure that contradicts the principles of a comprehensive, publicly funded NHS free at the point of delivery. I congratulate the great steps taken to cut waiting lists, increase the number of nurses and doctors and expand the capacity of the NHS. I do not support the government's policies on the NHS uncritically, however; I oppose PFI in the NHS because I do not believe it represents value-for-money for the public sector. However, I do not oppose the NHS buying resources from the private sector to treat NHS patients if it expands NHS capacity and allows us to give more people fast, high quality treatment. The most important principle is that the NHS remains free.
